
Carlson Wagonlit Travel (CWT)’s latest report, Faster, smarter, better? tackles the five key trends that are transforming the world of business travel: customization; mobile technology; the sharing economy; new booking methods; and new payment solutions. The report was created following a survey of over 127 travel managers and 1,080 travelers who provided feedback for the study.
The study also indicates that 35% of travel managers are planning to incorporate these technologies and trends they ranked as important into their travel programs and another 38% are actively considering them. For those looking to incorporate these trends, 56% are planning to do so within the next year.
David Moran, Executive Vice President, Global Enterprise Strategy, CWT, said: “As the pace of technological change is accelerating, so is market readiness for new ways of buying, managing, and experiencing travel. In this increasingly connected world, the role of the TMC (Travel Management Company) is also continuing to change – we’re helping clients to navigate these changes, providing new technology as well as ensuring they see all the benefits from the data that these new technologies provide.”
One travel procurement and policy manager interviewed for the study concluded, “TMCs are able to collect massive amounts of data and are in a position to build travel services that precisely match travelers’ wishes.”
To view the full report, visit www.cwtinsights.com.

• Total Tourism-Related Output was $1.6 trillion in the first quarter of 2015. It consisted of $905.4 billion (58%) of direct tourism spending and $663.2 billion (42%) of indirect tourism-related spending (www.bea.gov).
• During Q1 2015, US hotels enjoyed a fourth consecutive quarter of revenue per available room (RevPAR) growth of 8.0% or higher (www.cbre.us).